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Sheelan
has lived in the UK since
1993 as a political refugee. She
is studying for a PhD in Structural Biology at the University of
York.
Sheelan
has family and friends living in Iraq, and agreed
to share her views on the war.
No
one can hate wars as much as the Iraqis do, they who have lived
in almost continuous war situations for the last 23 years.
That
is why they want to remove the reason of it: Saddam.
Saddam
became president in 1979 and he started the war against Iran in
1980, when that war finished in 1988, in 1990 he invaded Kuwait:
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[Saddam] is a man who cannot stay in power and live without
a war
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This
is a man who cannot stay in power and live without a war.
The
Iraqis like others are either pro-war or antiwar, but it is a reality
that the majority are welcoming this war as their opportunity to
remove the most criminal and oppressing regimes in modern history,
no matter how much some are trying to show it is otherwise.
Iraqis’
reasons for any stand are different from other followers of either
campaign.
If
they are pro-war, it is not because they trust the US or think it
has the right to become the police of the world or because they
do not realise this is globalisation in its true face.
The
antiwar Iraqis are in that position because, in addition to mistrusting
the US, the fear of civilian casualties, they know that Saddam and
his gang will use any means to stay in power.
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[Iraqis] know that Saddam and his gang will use nay means
to stay in power
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Saddam
is not defending Iraq and "his people" as the Arabic media reporters
misinform their viewers and readers, and the Iraqis will not suddenly
become Saddam’s supporters because of the war.
The
regime bombarded the city and area of Halabja in 1987 with nerve
gas after the Iranians captured the city during the ongoing Iraq-Iran
war.
Saddam
is the type to use any means to remain in power, to kill more civilians
during this war than US missiles might do.
In
addition to the above reasons, I oppose this war because I cannot
see what right the US and UK have to invade Iraq now under the name
of liberation, while in 1991, during the people’s intifada, they
actually supported the regime to crush it.
Within
three weeks of the uprising, Saddam had under his power no more
than parts of Baghdad, Dyala, Ramadi and Mousil. It was only with
the help of the US and allies that Saddam was able to crush the
uprising.
For
the US and allies like Saudi, Saddam has to be removed their way
and only their way, or they crush any uprising by the Iraqi people!
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Iraqis have been and still are wronged, and not only by this
fascist regime
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Iraqis
have been and are still wronged, and not only by this fascist regime.
Wronged
by the West who brought to power and supported this regime during
the war against Iran and the uprising of 1991, wronged by the Muslim
and Arabs who shout slogans for the support of Saddam and call the
Iraqis who oppose Saddam ‘traitors’ (meaning 90% of the population!)
and wronged by the extreme lefties who have built their antiwar
campaign on information from Saddam’s friends.
The
antiwar movement was and is very strong but unfortunately some groups
have taken it to another direction from the intended one, it would
have been much more powerful and effective otherwise. 
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